During one of my sudden wakings, I had to take a moment to steady my stomach from the sensation of falling. The horses were all but flying down the side of a steep hill, running with all the certainty of traversing a well-tended road. Emerald grass rippled around us, bowing beneath the pounding hooves. Ahead of us, a familiar evergreen forest stretched out as far as the eye could see, north to south.
In no time at all, we were plunging headlong through the thickest of it. I worried for the horses as they wended their way through, afraid they might twist an ankle or run into a tree, but even at full gallop they never took a wrong step. Whatever wonders Chestnut worked on them, it gave me a whole new respect for her skills.
Just as quickly as we had entered, the forest started to thin. The horses began to slow as the patches of light overhead grew brighter. Ahead, the trees opened to dazzling uncertainty.
When we emerged into the early afternoon sun, Sir Brown Horse finally trotted to a stop. I had to shield my eyes from the angry glare of the land ahead. It was so bright it might have been ablaze, but once my eyes adjusted, I saw that it was just the brilliant reflection of the water. It stretched on endlessly, far past what I could ever hope to see. I sighed at the beauty of it. It had been a long time since I saw the ocean.
“I swear, you were born to live near the water, the way you look at it,” said Hawke as he reined Restless up next to me. Even with his teasing, I saw the same glow in his expression, his glasses reflecting the waves as they broke on the dusty beach.
“What's not to like? We built Damkarei on the coast for a reason,” said Uraj. He sat a saddle as naturally as a Mad Rider now, a far cry from the desperate clinging when we first left the City of Two Kings, half a lifetime ago.
Char rode up to join us, his tiny legs sticking straight out on either side of his horse. He swayed a bit, fighting to keep his balance.
“Can we get off, now? Ah feel bad fer tha poor thing,” he huffed. The Clydesdale looked perfectly content holding up the giant man, but Char looked like the only thing stopping him from jumping off was that his feet didn't reach past its midsection.
Luke pulled up beside me, leaning on one arm casually against the back of the saddle. He looked almost smugly at ease riding, though the only thing his face showed was annoyance. He reached inside his coat, pulling out a cigarette and putting it to his lips. He fished out a gold plated lighter from another pocket, bringing a small flame to life with a flick of the lid.
He puffed a few times to light it, letting lazy blue streaks curl up from the end. He took a deep drag and exhaled slowly, his whole body relaxing. His horse shook its head at the smell.
“Never been to the end of the Madness,” he said, a few errant wisps of smoke escaping from the corners of his mouth. “It's like the land is being swallowed.”
I saw what he meant. To the south, the desert stretched on endlessly, as daunting as ever. Just to the north, though, the ocean cut it off, yawning to the horizon just as determinedly. I had crossed the Madness, but faced with crossing the unknown stretches of the sea, I felt a familiar rush of fear and excitement I hadn't felt in a long time.
Luke pulled the cigarette from his mouth and used it to point. “If I didn't know better, I'd say that's our ride.”
I followed his hand, noticing something jutting out of the land and into the water. It was some sort of walkway, anchored into the ground with wooden columns that disappeared below the surface of the ocean. At the end of it, a peculiar vessel rocked gently on the waves.
“That's the Shalfuria, the only ship that makes the voyage between Grankul and Astra. Well, legally, at least,” said Uraj.
A real ship. For so long, I thought of them as just pieces of stories I heard growing up. Getting to see one was treat enough; knowing I would soon be sailing on it was enough to make my heart skip a beat.
“It would seem we're not too late. That's good.”
We all turned back to see Chestnut riding up on her favorite brown palfrey, leading Silvia's horse by the reins. Silvia looked even sicker than usual, but it was Chestnut that gave me cause for alarm. Her copper skin had taken a greenish tinge, and dark circles sagged beneath her eyes. It took all she could do to keep to her saddle.
“It's thanks to you, Chestnut,” said Hawke. “Six days was stretching it, but we managed to make it in four with your help. It's more than we could have asked for.”
She nodded her acknowledgement, but her eyes kept drifting away from us.
“I apologize, but the trip has drained me more than I expected,” she panted. “I'm afraid you will have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Of course. Thank you again for all your help, truly,” Hawke said. He hopped off Restless, the others following suit. Char, unable to find a way to gracefully dismount, grunted irritably and let himself topple off the side. The ground shuddered under his impact.
I dismounted Sir Brown Horse and ran my fingers through his mane. He turned his head towards me, sniffing at my hands. Knowing what he wanted, I dug through my pack and gave him the last apple I had. He crunched through it with complete horsey happiness.
“It's gonna be weird not having you around, buddy,” I murmured to him while he ate. There was no room on the ship for horses, Hawke told me, nor any need for them in Grankul. I had spent my whole life travelling with Sir Brown Horse, and leaving him behind was almost more than I could bear.
He snuffled through my hair, tickling me. I laughed as I fought to push his muzzle away. I looked to Hawke, to see how he was handling saying goodbye to Restless. I found him swearing under his breath while trying to wrestle Symphony away from the horse, which had somehow managed to clamp its jaws onto it.
“What lively spirits,” Chestnut commented. She whistled, and Restless let go of Hawke's sword. He stumbled away, clutching at it protectively, checking for any bite marks.
“They sure are,” Hawke said dryly. “You sure they won't be much trouble?”
“They will be like my children until you return. Now, all of us are going to have a nice nap before the trip home.” Chestnut clicked her tongue a few times, jerking her head toward the forest. One by one, the horses fell into single file and retreated beyond the trees. Chestnut lingered just a bit longer.
“Be well, Micasa and Hawke. Make sure to come back, for Sir Brown Horse, for Restless.” We bid our farewells, and she finally retreated to follow her charges, disappearing into the shadows of the evergreens soon after.
We made our way down towards the beach, taking time to stretch out our legs after days of disuse. The air grew hotter and muggier with each step, but the usual dusty scent of the Madness was overpowered by the wet scent of salt on the breeze. Soon, the wind started to cool, and a faint mist peppered my skin.
I marveled at the ship as we approached. It looked so small from up high, but it was easily larger than any vehicle I'd seen in my life, and most buildings for that matter. It rested a few dozen feet offshore, tied to the end of the pier (as Hawke told me it was called).
A short, cloaked figure hopped off the side of the ship and onto the pier. They were covered from head to toe in wrappings, but as we drew close they threw back the hood of their cloak. Blue skin almost matched the sea that frothed just behind them.
“Crest Tilak!” Uraj hailed her with a hand. “I'm glad to see you haven't decided to leave without us.”
The grinel's blank, watery eyes scanned over us. All of the group, save Uraj, tensed under her gaze. I could feel Hawke's anger bubbling under the surface, but I was more surprised at my own anger gnawing at my gut. When I looked at Crest, all I could think of was Blake lying mangled in their cot, of the hundreds of crazed demons under Othenidus' keep. I thought of the uncounted numbers of them that were still loose in Astra.
“We keep our word, always,” Crest answered in her scratchy voice. “You are two days early. Cutting it close this time, Sin Kuznetsov.” She turned to Hawke, her face twitching the slightest. “I see Sin Morau has decided to join once more.”<
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“Origin and I have some business to finish,” Hawke said coldly. “I can't let him die before it's done.”
“So long as you behave yourself this time, your motives are irrelevant,” Crest replied in turn. They stared each other down for a second, then the grinel changed topic.
“Those present wishing to join Conclave, present your nullstones here. You may not board without one.”
We all dug the stones out and showed them, one at a time. Crest Tilak examined each one carefully, sometimes running a spindly, clawed finger over them. When she had seen all six, she nodded.
“Everything is in order. Are there any others who will be joining us, Sin?” she asked Uraj.
“No, sadly not,” said Uraj.
“Then we can set off at once. Captain Zhin is eager to be home, and so am I.” She marched back down the pier and hopped back onto the ship, clearing the fifteen-foot difference like it was a mere step.
After a few moments, she tossed down a rope ladder for us to board. Uraj had assured us that supplies were unnecessary, as all our needs would be tended to, so our baggage was thankfully light. The heaviest luggage we had amounted to Uraj's hammer and Hawke's guitar.
It still took some time to get everyone on. Silvia lacked the strength to climb the ladder herself, and Uraj had to spend a deal of time helping her up. We decided Char should go last, only to learn the ropes couldn't hold him when they snapped under his weight. Eventually, he realized he could just grab the side if he jumped, but when he did, the entire ship rocked dangerously until we were able to pull him onboard.
The sails were unfurled, the wind checked, and a crotchety old grinel with green skin and horned stubble along his chin cursed us in the grinel tongue while we tried to stay out of the way. I assumed he must have been Captain Zhin, because aside from Crest Tilak, he was the only other grinel on the ship.
Slowly, the ship turned away from the pier and towards the endless expanse of blue that covered half the world. Hawke marveled at the speed we were making so close to shore.
“I was sure the ship was too close to land to get free,” he pondered. He didn't see it, but Crest Tilak passed behind him at that moment, and something akin to a sneer crossed her lips.
I rushed to the bow, leaning over the railings to let the ocean fill my view. The salt spray and sea breeze hit my face and tousled my hair. I breathed it all in, butterflies dancing in my belly and my heart hammering against my ribs.
We were actually doing it. We were on our way to another land, a world I had never seen before. I knew that Grankul would be dangerous, but finally I felt like we were on the path that would lead to a better world for humanity, the world Hawke and I fought to create.
I was so full of hope. I was so young. I was so naive.
About the Author
Hey there! My name’s Joshua, and I’ve been fascinated with storytelling practically since I was old enough to talk.
A bit about myself, I suppose. I’m in my early 30s, born and raised in Sacramento (that’s the capital of California, in case you’re confused). I’m the second of five children, and I. Love. Fantasy.
Growing up I was one of those kids who would blurt out the first thing that came to mind and got all the awkward stares. Even at the age of five, I could go on tangential rants for almost an hour that went nowhere.
In elementary school, I had my first brush with the dark side of fantasy: fan fiction. I spent several of my formative years writing stories based off of favorite tv shows and video games of mine.
This continued on through high school as a group of friends and I made a roleplaying forum where we tried to collaborate on writing a single narrative between almost a dozen people. It’s about as easy as it sounds. Of course, it was moments like that that spurred me to eventually start trying my hand at writing original stories.
I’ve been working full time in the customer service industry since high school. It pays the bills, but doesn’t give me a lot of time to write, so I usually have to really make it count when I can. When I’m not writing, I tend to be either reading or playing video games. Fantasy and sci-fi novels, Japanese manga, RPGs- if it has a fantastical element to it, I’m interested. Reading in particular has always been a huge passion of mine. There’s nothing I enjoy more than a well told narrative and engaging characters.
On the other hand, I have a bit of a masochistic streak when it comes to movies and books as well. Oddly enough, I find immense satisfaction in reading a terrible book or watching a horrible movie. Well, part of that enjoyment probably comes from subjecting my friends to the same thing afterwards. Take it from me: if you show a friend Birdemic, and they’re still friends with you after that, they’re keepers.
Dear reader,
Thank you for taking time to read Savants of Humanity. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
Savants of Humanity (The Scholar's Legacy Book 2) Page 37
